Lawrence J. Smith

Lawrence Jack Smith (born April 25, 1941) is an American politician and a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida.

He attended public schools in East Meadow, New York. He attended New York University in New York City from 1958 to 1961. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1964. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1964 and he commenced practice in New York City. In 1972, he was admitted to the Florida bar, and from 1974 until 1978, he was chairman of the Hollywood (Fl.) Planning and Zoning Board. From 1978 until 1982, he served in the Florida House of Representatives.

Lawrence Smith was a delegate to seven Democratic National Conventions from 1980 to 2004. He was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses. He served from January 3, 1983 until January 3, 1993. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1992 to the 103rd United States Congress.

Smith announced his retirement from Congress after revelations of bounced checks in connection with the House banking scandal and improper use of campaign funds. He pleaded guilty on May 25, 1993 to one count each of tax evasion and filing false campaign reports and was sentenced to three months in prison.

Currently, he is a resident of Hollywood, Florida. He has practiced in New York and Florida. He operated his own law offices which were based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, and Washington, D.C.. From 2012 until his retirement he practiced law with the law firm of Kelley Kronenberg serving as Special Counsel and Government Relations Liaison in Fort Lauderdale.